Daniel Farke favourite aims 'respect' warning at Aston Villa ahead of Leeds United clash
One of Daniel Farke's former players expects another difficult game when Aston Villa go to Leeds United.
Aston Villa midfielder Emi Buendia insists his side must keep their heads down and work hard ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Leeds United and former manager, Daniel Farke.
Buendia could have been walking out in white on Sunday had Leeds got their way in one of several previous transfer windows. The Argentinian has been a regular target for Elland Road chiefs having impressed under Farke at Norwich City with a skillset the Whites boss is badly lacking badly in West Yorkshire.
Leeds were again interested in a deal over the summer and their failure to find that creative spark has been a big issue, while Buendia has enjoyed a great start to the campaign at Villa Park with four goals and two assists across all competitions. That form has coincided with Unai Emery’s side winning five of their last six Premier League meetings.
Conversely, Leeds have lost four of their last five and enter Sunday’s Elland Road meeting just one point above the relegation zone, having slowly dropped towards trouble. But Buendia is under no illusions regarding the task at hand for his side this weekend in what will be an intriguing game personally, given that relationship with Farke.
“You can see in the table, everything is tight,” Buendia told The Express & Star. “Every game is difficult and that is the message from the manager. That is why we have to respect everyone.
“We know we are in a good moment, with good momentum. We have to keep working. He (Emery) is always giving the same message, to build the team and be focused on every game like we do.
“We focus on every detail, to prepare the match to face every opponent with a lot of respect. Every team deserves credit and respect. We work a lot on it. We know how hard every competition is.”
Leeds United must exploit Elland Road factor vs Aston Villa
Leeds will hope their return to Elland Road can spark a much-needed uptick in form, following back-to-back away defeats at Brighton and Nottingham Forest. Farke’s side have been much better at home this season, taking impressive points from Everton, Newcastle United, Bournemouth and West Ham.
Villa are set to provide arguably the toughest test yet, having thumped Bournemouth 4-0 in their final game before the international break. The two-week hiatus has brought up a few problems for Emery, however, with four first-team players sent home early from representing their countries due to minor issues.
Ezri Konsa, Lomare Bogarde, Matty Cash and Amadou Onana all missed the second round of international fixtures earlier this week and now face a race to be fit in time for Sunday. Emery will provide an injury update in his pre-game press conference later this week.
Leeds, meanwhile, don’t appear to have picked up any fresh issues during the break, with the likes of Ethan Ampadu and Ao Tanaka even getting a rest during the most recent round of action. Farke will provide clarity on the state of his squad on Friday, including an update on Willy Gnonto who hasn’t played since mid-September.